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Yesterday, Myanmar’s government confirmed that dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party , the National League for Democracy, won a sweeping victory in the nation’s weekend by-elections. National state radio and television reported that Ms. Suu Kyi’s party won 43 of the 45 open parliamentary seats.

Calling the results a “a triumph of the people” Suu Kyi’s party won a victory that marks an important turn for her political career and for her nation as it emerges from a half-century of military rule.

Change in Myanmar began in November 2010, when then-new President Thein Sein instituted a set of national reforms. One important element of these reforms included engaging in a dialogue with Nobel Prize winning opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and releasing her from a nearly decade-long house arrest.

These election results will not, however, alter the balance of Mynamar’s parliament given that only a small number of seats were contested. Regardless, the the vote is seen as a harbinger for potential social change and as a key indicator of the current ruling generals commitment to continuing reforms.

U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton cautiously praised the outcome of the by-election, saying “It’s too early to know what recent progress means and whether it will be sustained.”

As the 114th Congress convenes for the new session today, here’s a little visual reminder of just how far from being a representative democracy the US really is.

The new Congress, which is one of the most diverse in our history (uh, yay?), is made up of roughly 20 percent women and even fewer people of color, which is a very slight improvement over the last one. If you’re a glass half-full kinda person, though, you may be heartened to see these minuscule steps towards diversity in the context of the centuries upon centuries of white, male rule that preceded it. (Check out the charts on Congress’s racial composition, which look very similar, at the Washington Post.)

As the 114th Congress convenes for the new session today, here’s a little visual reminder of just how far from being a representative democracy the US really is.

Last week, the organization Sea Change released “Saying Abortion Aloud,” an extensive report examining how we can better support those who speak out for reproductive justice. We spoke with its creators to learn more about the research and what steps we can start taking today.

While we don’t know how many there will be once all the votes are tallied and the next Congress is sworn in, with Democrat Alma Adams’s victory a special election for representative of North Carolina’s 12th District, there are now 100 women in Congress for the first time ever. (Of course, another way of saying that is that it is 2014 and women make up less than 20 percent of Congress.)

Colorado and North Dakota both rejected personhood initiatives, while Tennessee voters unfortunately narrowly approved an amendment that declares that the state constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion. (Colorado voters must be tired if having to say–three times now–that they ...

While we don’t know how many there will be once all the votes are tallied and the next Congress is sworn in, with Democrat Alma Adams’s victory a special election for representative of North ...